Us and the Cosmos Beyond

The imaginative universe that Ryo Hsu has crafted is wonderfully eccentric, a surreal world with astronauts exploring a strange stretch of outer space that’s populated with mysterious shapes and floating popsicles. Despite boasting an impressive body of work, the Shanghai-based illustrator and graphic designer has never received a formal art education and has been completely self-taught. Hsu originally worked as a professional hair stylist but never quite felt creatively fulfilled in the role. His ongoing love of illustration and design, combined with his dedication and fearlessness to experiment, eventually led him to take a leap of faith and pursue his creative interests full-time. Recently, we had the chance to speak to this multifaceted autodidact to find out about some of the underlying concepts in his work and what inspires him.

Neocha: Can you tell us about how you got started with design and illustration?

Ryo Hsu: I think it stems from my childhood infatuation with manga and comics. I’ve never stopped drawing, and eventually, I was introduced to digital software, which led to me to experiment with new approaches. In the beginning, I had trouble finding an aesthetic that would translate what I envisioned into a visual format, so I just kept experimenting and trying out different mediums.

Ryo Hsu: Aside from visual influences, music is the most impactful factor for me. I’ve loved rock music since I was a young kid, and I played in a band. It’s been ten years now, and bandmates come and go; I often just jam by myself. Music is an abstract art to me – it’s intangible. You can’t see it or touch it. Comprehension is completely dependent on an inner level. My artwork is often the result of imagery that pops up in my head from when I would listen to music. Even though I love rock music, I listen to a bit of everything. When I’m working, I most often listen to post-rock, dream-pop, and so on; these genres aren’t convoluted by the presence of vocals or lyrics, so a lot of it is up to my own imagination. As for influences of other artists, Tadanori Yokoo and Dali probably influence me the most. I’m also quite interested in astronomy, sci-fi, surrealism, and I buy a lot of books related to these matters. My artistic style came about naturally. It’s a combination of all of these interests.

Neocha: Space is a prevalent theme in your surreal and abstract illustrations. Can you tell us more about that? What is your fascination with space and what does space mean to you?

Ryo Hsu: I’m pretty obsessed with astronomy. I have a lot of astronomy-related books at my house. On clear nights, I like to observe constellations and ponder about the life forms that may exist in distant galaxies or if we’re the only living organisms out there.

Ryo Hsu: Besides my professional work, I like to doodle and sketch in my free time. I recently published a small zine with Bananafish with all the random daily drawings I’ve accumulated. Also, I was fortunate enough to have my work selected for the Chinese version of the Japanese sci-fi novel The Next Continent.

Neocha: What is the message that you intend to communicate through your personal work?

Ryo Hsu: In the world as we know it now, humans seem to be the masters. But looking outwards, we’re just a tiny blue planet in the solar system. Even beyond that, there are so many unknown mysteries in the universe and places that we probably won’t be able to reach in many lifetimes. But the pioneers of our world are always endlessly looking to further the exploration of extraterrestrial knowledge. My work aims to express the loneliness between people, the sense of isolation between us the rest of the universe, and the longing to understand the unknown. The universe is deep and infinite. There is so much that we don’t know and so much more for us to explore.